Japan executes ‘Twitter Killer' Takahiro Shiraishi
TOKYO (TR) – The Ministry of Justice on Friday announced the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi, an inmate on death row over the murder and dismemberment of nine men and women.
In 2020, a court convicted Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, of robbery, non-consensual sexual intercourse, murder and destruction of a corpse, reports Nippon News Network (June 27).
In 2017, he killed the eight women and one man, aged 15 to 26, whom he had met on Twitter and other outlets at his apartment in Zama City. He also stole their valuables.
He sexually assaulted the eight women before the murders. The one man was the boyfriend of one of the female victims who had gone looking for her.
Some media outlets dubbed him the 'Twitter Killer.' Takahiro Shiraishi (X)
During his trial, the main issue at trial was whether the victims had consented to being killed. However, the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court ruled that all nine victims had 'not consented.' Shiraishi was sentenced to death and the sentence was finalized.
Following the execution, Keisuke Suzuki, the Minister of Justice, held an emergency press conference to explain the reasons for the execution.
'This has resulted in extremely serious consequences, with the young and precious lives of nine victims taken in the space of about two months, causing great shock and anxiety in society,' Suzuki said. 'I ordered the execution after extremely careful consideration.'
This is the first execution in Japan in two years and 11 months. With this execution, the number of death row inmates in prisons nationwide is now 105.
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Tokyo Reported
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Japan executes ‘Twitter Killer' Takahiro Shiraishi
TOKYO (TR) – The Ministry of Justice on Friday announced the execution of Takahiro Shiraishi, an inmate on death row over the murder and dismemberment of nine men and women. In 2020, a court convicted Takahiro Shiraishi, 34, of robbery, non-consensual sexual intercourse, murder and destruction of a corpse, reports Nippon News Network (June 27). In 2017, he killed the eight women and one man, aged 15 to 26, whom he had met on Twitter and other outlets at his apartment in Zama City. He also stole their valuables. He sexually assaulted the eight women before the murders. The one man was the boyfriend of one of the female victims who had gone looking for her. Some media outlets dubbed him the 'Twitter Killer.' Takahiro Shiraishi (X) During his trial, the main issue at trial was whether the victims had consented to being killed. However, the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court ruled that all nine victims had 'not consented.' Shiraishi was sentenced to death and the sentence was finalized. Following the execution, Keisuke Suzuki, the Minister of Justice, held an emergency press conference to explain the reasons for the execution. 'This has resulted in extremely serious consequences, with the young and precious lives of nine victims taken in the space of about two months, causing great shock and anxiety in society,' Suzuki said. 'I ordered the execution after extremely careful consideration.' This is the first execution in Japan in two years and 11 months. With this execution, the number of death row inmates in prisons nationwide is now 105.
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The study group continued to meet under the next justice minister as well, but it convened for the last time in March 2012 without reaching any final conclusion, merely registering the various opinions expressed on both sides of the issue. When Japan introduced trial by jury in 2009, members of the public became involved in capital punishment decisions. In 2017, there was a string of executions of prisoners who were petitioning for retrial. Criticism was also raised inside and outside Japan in 2018 over the execution of 13 prisoners connected to the Aum Shinrikyō cult in the space of a few weeks. A recent high-profile case concerned Hakamata Iwao, who was sentenced to death in 1980 for the killing of four people in 1966. He maintained his innocence from prison and in 2014, Shizuoka District Court released him and granted him a retrial. The retrial began in 2023 and concluded in September 2024, with the court acquitting Hakamata after finding that investigators had fabricated evidence. The ruling came 58 years after his original arrest and 44 years after he was sentenced to death. Having been incarcerated for so many years with the death penalty hanging over him, Hakamata still has difficulty communicating with others. This story put the spotlight on capital punishment, sparking calls for reform. A panel including lawmakers, a former prosecutor general, and a former commissioner general of the National Police Agency released a statement in November 2024 calling for a halt on executions until authorities rethink the government's approach to capital punishment and institute fundamental changes to the system. (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: The Tokyo Detention House, which contains an execution facility. © Jiji.)
